Page 7 of Beyond The Barre

“You don’t have to stay,” Linc’s sister-in-law whispered beside him. “I’ll video Aimee so you can watch it later.”

Amongst the small crowd, he saw the proud faces of parents and grandparents and the excitement of younger siblings who had trouble staying in their seats. Tonight wasn’t just about Christmas and family, but also about a small community celebrating its future.

He smiled back at her. “It’s fine. I want to be here.” And he did want to see his niece in her costume. But he wasn’t just there for her.

Aimee’s ballet routine was cute. The little girls pretended to be fairies with magical wings that let them fly. At least that was what Mandy said they were doing when they pretended to flap their arms.

His niece almost had the same whimsical expression on her face he had seen on Scarlett that day at the dance class. He hadn’t been able to get his mind off Scarlett since they’d decorated the Christmas tree together. He had never felt like this. He liked commitment-free fun. Feelings were off-limits. He was still young and enjoyed his social life. He enjoyed meeting new women and their company, in and out of the bedroom and he always made them aware that their relationship wouldn’t progress past a short fling.

Scarlett had said she didn’t want to go out with him. He knew he should respect her wishes and stay away. If only he believed her. But when she looked at him, he knew she must feel it too. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. He needed to be in her atmosphere, if not her life. Behind those beautiful eyes were pain and loneliness, and he wanted to be the one to soothe them away.

“Now it’s the teachers,” someone beside him said, and he fixed his attention on the stage.

His experience with dance was fairly limited, but he appreciated the skill and technique these dancers possessed. They all took turns showing off their moves to a cheering audience.

Then the music changed to more classical piano, and the audience shushed as Scarlett took the stage. Dressed in a costume of deep royal blue, the bodice fitting her body like a second skin, with a matching blue tutu trimmed in white around the edges, Scarlett floated to the centre of the stage, her toes skimming the surface of the floor.

Her arms were rounded above her head, and she was all long lines and graceful curves. She moved with a dreamlike quality, ebbing like the ins and outs of the tide as she told a story with her body. Her face glowed and even from his seat in the second row, he could see her eyes sparkling.

She pirouetted several times, then took her final pose, and the crowd erupted into applause. Linc was the first to his feet, clapping and cheering. Others joined him until nothing else could be heard. Scarlett curtsied twice to the audience, her stage smile firmly in place. Then she was tiptoeing off the stage and back behind the curtain.

“Maybe you’ll come to Aimee’s recitals more often?” Mandy nudged him gently in the ribs.

Damn, he’d been so caught up and transfixed he’d forgotten to stay cool and collected. If his brother and sister-in-law suspected he had a crush, he would never live it down.

“Come on, even I could see the beauty and skill in that.”

“Yes, and one particular ballerina caught your eye.” Mandy smiled. “I never thought I’d see the day you finally fell for someone.”

“I think you’re seeing things. I barely know Scarlett.”

“Not as well as you’d like to, at least.” She spoke the words he had just been thinking. It was true. He would like to know her much better indeed.

Hoping to see Scarlett, Linc wandered up and down the street. He was pretending to be interested in the stalls but constantly looking back at the stage. He walked past a trio of reindeers shaped out of lights that stood in front of a large sleigh on which red and gold tinsel rippled in the breeze. Near them, three metal-crafted cows were artistically decorated with tinsel and baubles, festively welcoming people into the town so widely known for its dairy farms and locally produced milk products.

Emerald Hill was the biggest of the dairy farms, and the two sisters who ran it had done amazing things with the business, including farm tours and a much-loved gourmet restaurant. The farm had recently become the go-to wedding venue on the Sunshine Coast.

Linc was proud to be part of this community. Most people were supportive of new ventures and ideas, although a few of the older families missed the quieter years before the tourists, when their views were not obscured by housing estates. Maleny was a place outsiders wanted to move to and locals wanted to stay.

He stood in front of the bookstore and gazed around the street. Being summer, everyone was dressed in shorts and T-shirts. The sun set late these days, and the air held its warmth.

While in the northern hemisphere people would be enjoying hot cocoa or eggnog, here in Maleny the kids were sucking on flavoured icy-poles.

He chatted with some old friends as they passed and eventually decided to hunt Scarlett down. At least he had an excuse to see her. He wanted to congratulate her on the show and thank her for all her hard work teaching Aimee and her friends.

Wes and Audrey were stacking the last of the chairs when he returned, and he helped to load them onto the back of their ute. They chatted about the recital as they worked. It had been the last event for the year, and now the children had six weeks holiday. No more school or extracurricular activities.

“Remember when we spent all summer at Gardners Falls?” Linc asked Wes.

“How old were we when we started going there? Twelve?”

“We started going to watch the girls in their bikinis.”

Wes caught Audrey looking at him with a cocked eyebrow. “And it was the only place we could swim to cool off,” he said.

“Come on, you perv. Let's get this stuff back to the studio.” Audrey waved her fiancé over, and they drove the ute down the street, away from the crowds.

Linc wandered around the stage. The curtain was still erected, as was a marquee behind which, judging from the hanging racks filled with costumes beside it, must have been used as a dressing room.

---